Interview with Executive Editor of Anaiah Press, Eden Plantz

Anaiah Press is a new publisher based in the United States that focuses on clean fiction and Christian fiction from throughout the world. Executive Editor, Eden Plantz, has shared with us some insight into the Anaiah Press from both a reader and author perspective.

If you want to pitch Anaiah Press, you can do so until the 26th January on YAtopia, or follow their regular submission process outside of this time.

The Interview:

1) How did Anaiah Press come into being?

I cut my literary teeth on Christian fiction. When all of my friends were reading middle grade novels, I was raiding my mom’s book shelves for the next novel by Jeanette Oake, Lori Wick, and Frank E. Peretti, among others. As I grew up, my genre choices expanded, but I always harbored a love for faith-based books. So, when Noreen approached me about teaming up with her to start a Christian, digital-first, small press, there was never any chance of me saying no.

2) What does Anaiah offer readers that isn’t readily available in the market at present?

We offer readers quality, faith-based fiction and nonfiction books that have been hand-picked, edited, and marketed with the passion and hands-on enthusiasm you really only see from small presses, but with the stringent standards and skills you’re more likely to find with a larger house.

3) There’s a whole imprint (Presence) dedicated to Speculative Fiction work, how does that align with a Christian publisher and what type of stories can readers expect.There’s actually a huge market for Christian Spec-fic right now. This can be anything from dystopian, to sci-fi, to horror/thriller. Yep, I said that right. Christian horror/thriller – it’s a real thing. The main defining trait of Christian Spec-fic is that it isn’t preachy. The faith-based tropes you’ll find here are Christian undertones and lots of spiritual warfare.

4) Romance is also on the cards. How does a Christian romance differ from other romances?

Sub-genres and tropes are essentially the same, but Christian romance is centered more on matters of the heart. The relationship between the main character and the love interest is more internal and character driven, with less focus on the physical attraction. The plotlines may be explicitly Christian or the message of faith can be implied – it varies from author to author and story to story.

5) How international will your stories and authors be?

We are open to what we receive. We’ll consider books by authors from anywhere in the world, provided the book is English language and meets our submission criteria. As a digital-first publisher, from the very outset, our books will be available internationally through standard distribution channels.